Applebee's serves toddler alcohol

Was it the malicious act of a disgruntled server? An honest mistake? Or this year's version of the Wendy's chili finger scam?

The jury's still out on how this all came about, but what we do know, according to a Detroit TV station's report, is that a toddler out to dinner with his family at an area Applebee's ended up with an alcoholic margarita mix in his sippy cup instead of apple juice. The boy started acting strangely--babbling randomly and nodding off as drunks tend to do--and was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors measured a .10 blood alcohol level.

Applebee's is cooperating with local authorities to investigate the situation. Watch the video and find out what the mother had to say about the incident:

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Hi Rachel and readers, I work with Applebee's corporate and we're still obtaining all of the details. Everything we do know at this time can be found on our website: http://bit.ly/hqVtye.

According to the Madison Heights Police Department’s report, its field test at the restaurant checked the drink and it registered a .014, about what you could find in mouthwash. This contrasts with what’s been widely reported--that the child had a blood-alcohol content of .10 and was rushed to the hospital. According to the police report, the EMTs checked the child at the restaurant and released him.

We certainly accept responsibility and we're doing everything we can to make sure NOTHING like this ever happens again. We’ve changed our procedures by switching to pouring apple juice only from single-serve containers served at the table, and we're retraining our staff nationwide.We're going to keep doing what it takes to improve our procedures and make our restaurants better.

NO bar that I have ever known puts alcohol in the mixes, or near non alcoholic juices, etc, in the well where servers can pour their own. Bartenders are responsible for the alcohol that they put out, in measured amounts every time, particularly in corporate chains. Either applebees has completely lost it, and their bartenders/servers are grossly incompetant, or this family is up to something. Either way, this story is sad.

I find it ironic that the same thing happened at an Applebees in 2008- the odds of that are pretty impossible! Sounds like parents are looking for a payout unless Applebees is so ignorant that they still have bottles no other chain has that looks like apple juice when its marg mix.

I'd read another article the other day, this wasn't the first time that their margarita mix was "mislabeled" as apple juice and served to a toddler. Apparently the bottles look the same, too. Hrmm. Maybe that should have been fixed after the first time?

If it wasn't the first time and they've had similar issues and not decided to correct --well then, did you hear that? Off in the distance. It's a cash register sound going off in the eyes of the lawyer who just got that family as clients. Ka-ching!